CEANA returns to the Big Apple

New York City. March 15, 2006 ---- The 2006 CEANA Convention returns to the Big Apple and the United Volta Association (UVA) looks forward to hosting the Convention once again! Many of you may recall your visit to the New York City for the 1999 CEANA Convention. UVA will be celebrating its 10th anniversary and in conjunction with all Ewes in the Tri-state (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut) area will be welcoming all Ewe Citizens and all lovers of the Ewe Culture from North America, Canada and around the world to the 2006 annual CEANA Convention. The theme for this year?s convention is Educational Development in Eweland: focusing on infrastructural improvement

CEANA - returns once again to New York City during the upcoming Labor Day weekend. The whole weekend will be filled with various activities. The actual Convention programs will begin on Friday, September 1, 2006 through Sunday, September 3, 2006. This year?s Convention is going to be yet another memorable one full of surprises and we promise everyone will go home with the New York State of mind. We urge you to start preparing now for this great occasion. Do not miss out! Make it a point to attend the 13th annual CEANA Convention as well as UVA?s 10th Anniversary celebration! You will be joined by Ewes from all over North America, Canada, Europe and Africa. The convention offers you the opportunity to meet old school mates and childhood friends. Please join us in deliberating on matters affecting Eweland.

The UVA and folks in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut know what it takes to host a great and successful Convention. We have the track record to prove it. The UVA has hosted the CEANA Convention once before, with this year?s Convention being the Second time! We promise you a weekend full of fun and relaxation while deliberating on issues affecting Eweland. We will begin the Convention weekend with a special Kick-Off Dinner on Thursday, August 31, 2006. This special Kick-Off dinner event will be open to all our ?Early Arriving? guests. Your visit to the Big Apple/Garden State is going to be an exciting moment for you and your families. You will have the opportunity to visit some of the following places of interest in the Tri-State area. We therefore urge you to arrive early so that you can visit these very interesting places.

Some Tourist Attractions to visit in Tri-State area are:

The Statue of Liberty
The Empire State Building
Times Square
The Museum of Natural History
Broadway Shows Ellis Island Ground Zero

?. and lots of other interesting places to visit

The United Volta Association (UVA)

The UVA was incorporated in 1996 in New York as a result of the coming together of Ewe Unity Club and Ewe Haborbor. The UVA is an affiliate and founding member organization of the Council of Ewe Associations of North America (CEANA) and the National Council Of Ghanaian Associations (NCOGA) in the New York Tri-State Area. The UVA embraces the ideologies of CEANA and NCOGA. The UVA?s objective is to foster social and economic welfare of its members and promote Ewe traditional culture. It also assists in the Socio-Economic development of the Eweland. In addition, the UVA also assists and supports its members in times of need, grief, joy, and happiness.

What is CEANA ??

The Council of Ewe Associations of North America (CEANA) is the umbrella organization representing fifteen Ewe Associations in the United States and Canada. It is a Not-for-Profit, Non-Political, Socio-Economic, and Cultural organization. The organization was initially formed in July 1984 under the name United Volta Organization (UVO), and was reconstituted under the current name ? CEANA in September 1995.

CEANA acts as an umbrella and a guiding body for the various associations to:

Undertake and assist in economic programs and projects for the development of the Eweland.

Promote contact with all Ewes in North America to harness their intellectual, social, economic, and cultural talents for the development of Eweland.

Achievements:

The achievements of CEANA include:

? Establishment of scholarship program for qualified SSS students in Eweland

? Acquisition and shipment of approximately $3.4 million worth of medical equipments to hospitals in the Volta Region and the Republic of Togo.

? Donation of electro-cardiogram and large quantities of hospital supplies to the Cardiology Center at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

? Establishment and maintenance of a CEANA website ? www.ceanaonline.org

? Successfully held 12 Annual Conventions in various cities in the United States and Canada.

Future Plans:

Some of the future plans of CEANA include:

Holding year 2007 Annual Convention at Ho, Ghana

Establishing an Advocacy group for Eweland Making CEANA a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) in Eweland

Enhancing and promoting Ewe culture in North America so as to attract tourists to Eweland.

Support the Ewe Dictionary Project at the University of Ghana.

Support the on-going initiatives to establish Universities in the Volta Region.

Current Member Associations of CEANA include:

1. United Volta Association ? New York

2. Volta Club ? Washington, DC

3. Ewe Association of Chicago

4. Ewe Association of Georgia (Atlanta)

5. Ewe Association of Dallas (Texas)

6. Ewe Association of Houston (Texas)

7. Ewe Associations of Mississippi, Arkansas Alabama (MAL)

8. Ewe Association of North Carolina (Fayetteville)

9. Ewe Multicultural Association of Ontario (Toronto)

10. Ewe-Canadian Cultural Organization of Ontario (Canada)

11. Ewe Habobo of Southern California

12. Ewe Association of Colorado

13. Ewe Multicultural Association of Alberta

14. Volta Association of New England

15. Mile Novisi of Florida (Miami)

The CEANA Conventions...

CEANA holds its annual Conventions during the first week-end in September every year. It is during this period that delegates or representatives from various member organizations and the Executive Committee (Secretariat) of CEANA hold their annual meeting to deliberate over and vote on issues pertaining to Eweland.

The 13th Annual CEANA Convention

The 2006 CEANA Convention will take place from Friday, September 1 thru Sunday, September 3, 2006. The program for the convention will be:

1) Friday - Meeting of the Executive Council (Secretariat) and delegates from member organizations known as the Council of Representatives (COR). The meeting is generally referred to as ?COR Meeting.?

2) Saturday (Daytime) ? General meeting. This meeting will be opened to the general Convention attendees, individuals from member organizations, delegates and the CEANA Secretariat. There will be an afternoon Luncheon, featuring special guest speakers.

3) Saturday (Evening) - An evening of Dinner Dance Banquet at an elegant hotel in the Garden State, featuring an atmosphere of pomp, and cultural performances. In the spirit of promoting the Ewe culture, we encourage people to come dressed in their traditional attires.

4) Sunday ? There would be a non-denominational church service followed by a-mother of all picnics, featuring cultural dances, a variety of delicious ethnic cuisines, various games and lots of other entertainments.

Convention Site and Hotel Accommodation

The Convention activities and hotel accommodation will be provided at the Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel and Conference Center ? 2 Meadowlands Plaza, East Rutherford, NJ 07073. Hotel Room Rate: $85.00 Plus 6% NJ Sales tax and 8% City & Occupancy tax for single or double occupancy. For those interested, there is an all inclusive breakfast at the hotel at $14.00 per person.

Please call the hotel direct to reserve your rooms

201-896-0500 or 1-800-325-3535 The Code is CEANA

Reservation Deadline: All reservations must be made by July 28, 2006 with a major credit card. Start making your reservations now to avoid last minute rush and disappointments. Please do not book more rooms than actually needed since the hotel will demand payment for all cancellations.

The hotel is about 15 minutes Drive from Newark Airport, opposite Giant Stadium, and we advise that all flights should arrive at Newark Airport for easy access to the hotel. If you arrive at any other airport you will be responsible for your transportation to the hotel. Transportation will be provided on an hourly basis from the Newark Airpairport to the hotel. Pick up location is P4. Take the free air train to P4. Go downstairs and wait to be picked up.